Ozone disinfection of secondary effluent containing antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A paired experiment using seven batches of activated sludge final effluent was used to determine the effect of ozone on the multiple-antibiotic-resistant (MAR) population of Escherichia coli. The experiments were conducted using a batch stirred tank reactor. No statistically significant difference was found in the proportions of MAR E. coli in the ozonated secondary effluent when compared with the nonozonated effluent. This was true for all levels of multiple resistance including simultaneous resistance to greater than or equal to five antibiotics. This suggests that using ozone for water and wastewater disinfection will not select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria as has been reported by other investigators for chlorine and ultraviolet radiation. Key words: antibiotic resistance, Escherichia coli, wastewater, ozone, disinfection, activated sludge effluent.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: